Hajiganj, Chandpur, September 2009

A Rural Durga Dashami

Hajiganj, Chandpur, Bangladesh
28-29 September 2009

Being my Nana-bari (my mother’s ancestral home), Hajiganj always had a special place in my heart. And being at a relatively short distance from Dhaka, it was one of the nice getaway places for our family. The last time I went to Hajiganj in February 2008, it was for an occasion. But this time, it was more like spending a holiday, rather than attending an occasion. It was more a family outing than anything else. Yet, I managed to squeeze enough time to shoot a few photographs.

The opportunity came in the form of Durga Puja, the largest festival for the Hindu community in this part of the world. The last day of Durga Puja, Bijoya Dashami, is usually a holiday. That gave us the chance to look for a quick breather. I had been to Bijoya Dashami celebrations a year ago. But that was in Dhaka. The celebration at Hajiganj is usually very very different. And getting the privilege to experience that diversity was really something.

We left Dhaka in the afternoon of Sunday (27th September). The idea was to reach Hajiganj within the night, which would allow us to get a glimpse of the morning lights Monday. Monday was Bijoya Dashami; making the evening very important. We reached Hajiganj after a 4 and a half hours’ hectic road journey. Heavy traffic at Dhaka and its outskirts killed a lot of time. We were really tired once we reached Hajiganj.

From Hajiganj & Chandpur, September 2009

The "Dhuup" warriors........01

From Hajiganj & Chandpur, September 2009

The "Dhuup" warriors........02

From Hajiganj & Chandpur, September 2009

The "Dhuup" warriors........03

From Hajiganj & Chandpur, September 2009

A "modern" Durga Puja........


Yet, there was enough spirit within us to make a visit at the Puja Mandap nearby by around midnight! There were two Mandaps; we visited both of them in turn. The smaller one was having an event with “Dhuup” dancers. Dancers were performing in the front of Durga with “Dhuup” in their hands. It was full of action and mystery. Next, we moved to the larger Mandap, where the biggest crowd gathered. There was a huge cultural show being held in front of the deity. The show looked more modern than anything related to tradition or even religion. But the amount of interest was more towards this “modern” show than the traditional “Dhuup” dancing. Anyway, we didn’t stay there too long, as the temperature of the place wasn’t really conducive to enjoyment. I had to appreciate the patience of the locals who simply ignored the unbearable temperature to get a glimpse of the event. We left the place by around 1:00AM to earn a badly needed rest.

From Hajiganj & Chandpur, September 2009

Another morning under the curse of modernity.......

From Hajiganj & Chandpur, September 2009

Morning catch......

From Hajiganj & Chandpur, September 2009

Morning water-scape......

From Hajiganj & Chandpur, September 2009

Those little things in life.........

From Hajiganj & Chandpur, September 2009

When do we realise that we've lost our green?


Even though I had the desire to get a glimpse of early morning, I couldn’t make it. I was late to wake up. But simply didn’t want to waste the morning light before it became too harsh. I went out to have a look at the surrounding village-scape. The village is named Balakhal. The place is dominated by the River Dakatia. The swirling Dakatia surrounds the village like a snake. And there are quite a few water bodies too in the vicinity that get fed by the river in some ways; at least in the rainy season. We went there in the Autumn (Sarath), but the water level was still pretty high at a lot of places. We had quite a bit of rain this Autumn and there was less distinguishable period between Autumn and the Rainy Season.

From Hajiganj & Chandpur, September 2009

Street fun........

From Hajiganj & Chandpur, September 2009

Gods within......01

From Hajiganj & Chandpur, September 2009

Gods within......02

From Hajiganj & Chandpur, September 2009

Edge of Dakatia..........01

From Hajiganj & Chandpur, September 2009

Gods within......03

From Hajiganj & Chandpur, September 2009

Edge of Dakatia..........02

From Hajiganj & Chandpur, September 2009

Gods within......04

From Hajiganj & Chandpur, September 2009

Morning green........

From Hajiganj & Chandpur, September 2009

Generations.......



I roamed about the village, snapping some river-scape and some village moments. There was the added importance of Puja. And there was evidence of Puja in every village corner. And there was another Puja coming after Durga Puka in a few days, which made the place even more interesting. Laxmi Puja was already having its presence felt in the community, which had a substantial number of Hindu followers. It’s a very developed village I would have to say. Because of its proximity to the highway and availability of electricity, most of the modern-life facilities are available here, including cable TV. So, influence of those stuff have to be taken into account. Last night’s “modern” celebration was part of that changing culture.

From Hajiganj & Chandpur, September 2009

With a touch of "modernity".......

From Hajiganj & Chandpur, September 2009

After a night of celebrations..........

From Hajiganj & Chandpur, September 2009

At the foot of the Durga.......

From Hajiganj & Chandpur, September 2009

When all the others left........

From Hajiganj & Chandpur, September 2009

Out of focus.......


Anyway, I went to the Mandap once again, expecting to see an empty audience after a nigh-long celebration. I could have a clear view of the deities before they would be sacrificed ceremonially. The stage was being cleared of the chairs and other instruments of modern celebration. It was a different mood altogether. I was glad that I went there that morning. Another bonus I had was that I was taken deep inside the village homes to show the other deity that occupied the place of the current Durga. They told me that they were to sacrifice that deity in around a week to replace it with another one. I even started thinking of joining that occasion as well. I came back from my morning stroll by around 10AM. The sun was already beating down. This Autumn the weather had been pretty much like summer!

From Hajiganj & Chandpur, September 2009

Had to stop the car on the way.........

From Hajiganj & Chandpur, September 2009

The bend of the Dakatia.........


Our plan was to give a visit to Chandpur in the afternoon to get a glimpse of the mighty Meghna River. With that thing in mind, we started off by around 5:30PM. Less than an hour’s ride took us past the crowded Chandpur town, straight to the town-protection embankment on the Meghna. This is the edge of the land. There was water on three sides. The head of the embankment had the confluence of the Dakatia on the left and the mighty Meghna in front. The strongly-built embankment gave an idea about the ferocity of the rivers during the rainy season.

From Hajiganj & Chandpur, September 2009

Preparing for the day-end.....

From Hajiganj & Chandpur, September 2009

Tourist boats.......

From Hajiganj & Chandpur, September 2009

David and Goliath.........

From Hajiganj & Chandpur, September 2009

Autumn clouds.......

From Hajiganj & Chandpur, September 2009

Last lights........


It was a place for recreation. Almost too many people were there to spend the afternoon hours in an open space. Boats were waiting to take people on a ride in the river. It was business time for them. The sun was on a setting mood. But the Autumn skies had too much cloud to let the sun kiss the water’s edge. It went dark pretty quickly, leaving behind a dull sunset. Yet, the open air of the river made us feel fresh. We could go back with a fresh mind. We left the river bank by around 7:00PM.

From Hajiganj & Chandpur, September 2009

The spark of devotion..........

From Hajiganj & Chandpur, September 2009

The "Dhuup" warriors........04

From Hajiganj & Chandpur, September 2009

The "Dhuup" warriors........05


After going back to Hajiganj, I had to go through some family duties, which prevented me from going to the Puja Mandap to experience the special “Dhuup” event of Durga Dashami. I knew that it was supposed to start by around 8:00PM. But I couldn’t reach the Mandap before 9:15PM. The event was on in full swing. And I started to click through the thick cloud of mystery. But my enjoyment was short-lived, as I was called back from home to perform yet more family duties. I was there for less than half-an-hour. My heart almost broke. I decided not to go back again. But my wife persuaded me to make another trip to the Mandap. She could feel the agony that I was going through.

From Hajiganj & Chandpur, September 2009

The last moments..........01

From Hajiganj & Chandpur, September 2009

The last moments..........02

From Hajiganj & Chandpur, September 2009

The last moments..........03


I once again reached the Mandap by around 10:45PM. It was a huge occasion. Both the Mandaps were getting ready to sacrifice Durga. The smaller one took the lead. The number of people participating in the event was also smaller. There was some kind of a short quarrel as well, regarding some silly issue that I could hardly understand. But it was clear that it was between the two groups of the two deities. Anyway, I watched the sacrifice the smaller deity through thick crowds. The Durga was sacrificed into the huge water-tank just beside the stage. The whole event came to a close within a very short time. And it all went quiet within a moment. All the people then rushed to the other deity, which was to be sacrificed within a few minutes. Again, a huge rush ensued. And it was much bigger than the one around the smaller deity. But the quickness of the event was almost the same. The highly emotional event was finished even before I could feel their emotions. The deity was sacrificed very similarly in another huge watertank. The splash was followed by a bit of a water-play. A bunch of young chaps jumped into the tank and started to spray water on the onlookers. We quickly jumped back.

From Hajiganj & Chandpur, September 2009

The run.........

From Hajiganj & Chandpur, September 2009

The start........

From Hajiganj & Chandpur, September 2009

The slip........

From Hajiganj & Chandpur, September 2009

The escalation.........

From Hajiganj & Chandpur, September 2009

The ecstasy........

From Hajiganj & Chandpur, September 2009

The dance.......

From Hajiganj & Chandpur, September 2009

The clay........

From Hajiganj & Chandpur, September 2009

The faces........

From Hajiganj & Chandpur, September 2009

The stage........

From Hajiganj & Chandpur, September 2009

The spontaneity......

From Hajiganj & Chandpur, September 2009

Ancient pleasure......



It was just after 11:00PM. And this is when it all started to unfold. The young devotees started to run towards the stage where the deity was; they laid flat on the stage. It was the prelude to the most unexpected event of the night. A big bunch of 30-40 young chaps began to dance; a dance without boundaries; a dance of freedom. The participants of this event aged as low as 8-10 years. And they were joined by adults as well; some being over 40. It became the event of the night within a few moments. It did rain in the evening, and there was some mud about the place. But the place under the curtain was mostly dry. I have no idea how that mud was introduced. Before I could realize, the whole stage became as muddy as anyone could imagine. It was a struggle for balance; a struggle that everyone enjoyed like anything. It took no time to turn everyone into human clay. Their colorful clothes diminished into the universal colour of soil. They all became one! And this fun went on, as if they had gathered all the energy in the world to impress the gods! Whether it was sacrifice or not, their joyous emotions made the festival memorable; at least for me.

I left the celebrations just before 11:30PM. My family was calling me once again. But this time I had no hard feelings going back. It was a night that I would remember with all the joy and excitement!

From Hajiganj & Chandpur, September 2009

The dawn.........

From Hajiganj & Chandpur, September 2009

The way home..........


It was almost the end of the tour for us. After a hasty sleep, we woke up early and packed for the return even before the sun could show itself properly. We had to cut through the weekday traffic at Dhaka in the morning. The return journey took around 3 and a half hours. It was hectic; but the pleasant results of the tour flew us through.

Baidyer Bazar, Narayanganj, June 2009

The Name of the River is Meghna
A BP Photowalk to Baidyer Bazar, Narayanganj, Bangladesh
06 June 2009

Its still summer. Right in the middle of it, in fact. The heat is tough; almost unbearable at times. There had been rain every now and then. But that rain doesn't cool off the environment for more than half a day. I can still remember my last tour to Mymensingh, where I could hardly extricate myself from the stove!

Still, when there was an offer for a photowalk from Monir, I couldn't resist. It was a tough week for me and needed an outlet. The photowalk was actually quite late. It was supposed to be held a week earlier, being posted in the Bangladeshi Photographers (BP) group of Flickr, but somehow ended up postponed until the 6th. The distination was chosen as Baidyer Bazar (or Boidder Bazar) in Sonargaon Upazilla of Narayanganj District. The place in right on the River Meghna.

Start time for the journey was chosen at 8:00AM from near Gulistan in Dhaka. But somehow, we ended up boarding the bus by around 8:55AM. The 13 member team couldn't reach Sonargaon intersection before 9:45AM. This is the place where one needs to get off in order to go to Sonargaon Museum and Panamnagar. We didn't do that though. We boarded several three-wheelers and proceeded towards Baidyer Bazar. The narrow road was paved and didn't really look all that rural. This part of the country is very densely populated and has most of the urban facilities, though they would be classified as rural in most definitions. This is something that can be termed as developed rural areas; not really semi-urban in real sense.

From Baidyer Bazar, Narayanganj, June 2009

Milestone.........

From Baidyer Bazar, Narayanganj, June 2009

Silent noise..........

From Baidyer Bazar, Narayanganj, June 2009

Under those puffy clouds..........


Anyway, we reached Baidyer Bazar by around 10:10AM. Most of us couldn't manage a decent breakfast. So, we looked for food in the first place. We completed our breakfast at a local restaurant, with an open view of the River Meghna. White clouds rose over the big waterway, giving a great view. The restaurant was actually on the big embankment that protects the place from erosion in the rainy season. This high position was a great place to enjoy the river. Anyway, we completed our breakfast in a hurry and went out with our cameras.

From Baidyer Bazar, Narayanganj, June 2009

The scorching star........

From Baidyer Bazar, Narayanganj, June 2009

Building blocks of life........

From Baidyer Bazar, Narayanganj, June 2009

In a sea of clouds........

From Baidyer Bazar, Narayanganj, June 2009

Expressions........01

From Baidyer Bazar, Narayanganj, June 2009

Expressions........02

From Baidyer Bazar, Narayanganj, June 2009

Expressions........03



It didn't take a minute to judge the harsh sunlight. Those clouds were fabulous for sure; but it was hardly possible to have a look at those. We had a hard time under the bare sun; but not for long. We moved into the village and got scattered. The village had shadows, yet it couldn't hide us from the severe humidity. It was sapping indeed. But we were received positively by everyone, especially children. They were more than willing to pose in front of our cameras.

From Baidyer Bazar, Narayanganj, June 2009

At peace with machines.......


It was a pretty densely populated village. I haven't seen such dense population in rural areas in other parts of the country. Houses were very close together and moving space among the houses was limited. We almost found ourselves in a maze of residential blocks. Eventually, when we came out of the houses, we emerged into an open road with tough prospects under the scorching sun. Some of us broke off and decided to wait it out in the shadows. Others look their chances and began to explore the villages.

From Baidyer Bazar, Narayanganj, June 2009

We rested, but the Kingfishers were busy.......

From Baidyer Bazar, Narayanganj, June 2009

A window of hope.......

From Baidyer Bazar, Narayanganj, June 2009

A sad face?

From Baidyer Bazar, Narayanganj, June 2009

Magpie Robin (Female).......



We took refuge at a rural grocery and enjoyed the time with the village children. Their enthusiasm was overwhelming. Watching their faces on a camera LCD was almost like watching movie to them; the difference being, they were the stars! A small pod had a little surprise for us, as a couple of kingfishers displayed their fishing skills for a while. The kingfishers were not alone in the area. There were many other birds visible or can be heard around the place. It was great to see so many birds around such a densely-populated place. The light was very hard for good photography; so, shooting in the shadows was the only way open in front of us. The afternoon might have some better prospects. That hope kept us interested. We relaxed and had refreshments there until around 1:00PM, when we decided to move once more towards the river. We were hungry and also, thirsty; naturally. The village had one thing at least; we could put our hands on some cold soft drinks, which felt like gift from the heavens!

From Baidyer Bazar, Narayanganj, June 2009

Of lights and shadows......


Once we reached the river, we sat at the same restaurant on the embankment where we had our breakfast. But we were disappointed to learn that the restaurant didn't serve all kinds of food. They dealt only with lighter food; for a heavy meal, you have to move to other places. We were channelled to the coastline, below the embankment. Here, there was a temporary market, which had different kinds of shops, including a portion dedicated to freshly caught fish.

From Baidyer Bazar, Narayanganj, June 2009

Its a playhouse..........

From Baidyer Bazar, Narayanganj, June 2009

Rest and Peace........

From Baidyer Bazar, Narayanganj, June 2009

Its tough life.........

From Baidyer Bazar, Narayanganj, June 2009

Some people are truly dependent on the mercy of others..... even for the smoke!!

From Baidyer Bazar, Narayanganj, June 2009

He used to be a fisherman once...... too old to be useful, he now spends time by the restaurants on the river....... he can't afford a meal, but somehow he can't forget smoking either.......


A temporary restaurant became our refuge for the time being. We had some food there and more cold drinks. We began to enjoy the line of boats under those puffy clouds. They were busy with their own day-to-day businesses. Some traded in fish; others were just ferrying people to and from the other bank. We could guess that their river ride under the scorching sun was definitely not the most pleasant. Those who were resting under the shades on top of the biggish boats, were in a better position. Some Brahminy Kites were circling overhead and regularly catching fish from the water; their wings spread against the white clouds added a more peaceful atmosphere to the resting boats.

From Baidyer Bazar, Narayanganj, June 2009

Rest........

From Baidyer Bazar, Narayanganj, June 2009

Hidden........

From Baidyer Bazar, Narayanganj, June 2009

Hoping against hope.......... the day was really hot.......



In the early afternoon, we rendezvoused with our other team-mates. Now it became a wholesale photo hunt at the edge of the water! The locals were surprised, but they enjoyed it. After a while of photo shoot, the bigger portion of our friends enjoyed a great lunch with freshly-caught Hilsha. After lunch, most of our team-mates were too tired to continue. The sapping weather had the most of it. Three of us decided to wait for the light to go down a bit more, while others decided to call it a day. Most of our team-mates decided to move by around 4:00PM. We bade them goodbye and waited for the afternoon lights.

From Baidyer Bazar, Narayanganj, June 2009

Personality........ a fish trader

From Baidyer Bazar, Narayanganj, June 2009

Its a tough journey across the river........

From Baidyer Bazar, Narayanganj, June 2009

Ray of light.........

From Baidyer Bazar, Narayanganj, June 2009

Heavenly play........

From Baidyer Bazar, Narayanganj, June 2009

Gliding in freedom.......

From Baidyer Bazar, Narayanganj, June 2009

Cooling off.........

From Baidyer Bazar, Narayanganj, June 2009

Hoping for a catch......



The next one hour passed by without too much drama. But it was at least not as sapping as the morning and early afternoon hours. Clouds gathered in the western sky and hid the sun. Some dramatic clouds played their way around the western skies. Fishermen began to show up along the river bank. They threw their nets from the small boats, searching for the living cash! Children began to enjoy the waters after a scorching day. Some adults joined them too. Their splash beckoned us!

We moved off by around 5:15PM. We boarded a three-wheeler once more and proceeded towards Sonargaon intersection. From there, we boarded the bus for Dhaka. Though the journey to Dhaka wasn't that dramatic, we could realise the typical pain of traffic congestion when we reached the heart of the city. That reminded us of the things we left behind.

It was a very hard day indeed. But we enjoyed it in the end; meeting friends; sharing ideas; sharing moments. Baidyer Bazar is a place with an identity. It has its uniqueness; its own beauty. Catching the beauty in the eye or in the camera, depends on the viewer. To me, the uniqueness of the place alone can get me there once again. I would love to see how the place looks like in the rainy season. I hope I wouldn't have to wait for long. But it all depends of drive and opportunity. Keeping my fingers crossed!